Deception
by Lylan Shade
Summary: In a land far away from civilization a young heiress was born. She contained a power so great that she was forced to keep it a secret from the world, but one day she released it, and with it she was forced to flee. She hid herself away out of fear and kept her power quiet. On a fateful day a year later she is given the chance to belong once again, but now it's with the Akatsuki.
1. Chapter 1

_Well hello there readers! Here's another one of my stories that has been running through my mind for a while now. I am sure you are thinking that this will be like all other typical Sakura/Akatsuki fics but I can assure you it will have its own element of uniqueness if for one reason only which is that this will be heavily based around my OC that I created for this story._

_Now I know that not many people actually like stories involving OC's and with that in mind I have been tirelessly working on building an entire history for my character so that as she is written in this story it will seem like she really belongs there. Now if you refuse to give OC's a chance this story is not for you, sorry._

_A note on pairings: Yes I will have pairings in this, but I will not say who will be with who. You will just have to wait and find out, which could take a while since I will not be rushing into any relationships. I intend for this story to last for quite some time, so things will happen at a slow pace. _

_I hope you all enjoy this story; I have been working real hard at trying to get it just right while maintaining character personalities so that it remains believable, which is like really hard to do!_

_Anyway this will serve as the only **disclaimer **for the story. I do not own Naruto or its characters, I only claim my OC. So with that said enjoy!_

**_Chapter One_**

**_;..;_**

_"The sweetest smiles hold the darkest secrets..."_

The morning sky was a dark shade of grey as dawn approached, and with it came the thick morning fog that blanketed the snow covered forest floor. No sounds could be heard as the nocturnal animals settled into their dens for their rest and the diurnal creatures were just beginning to wake, but despite the chilling bite to the still air, there was a solitary man traveling along the forest in a slow manner.

The man was clad in a black cloak with red cloud markings adorning it. To the majority of the world, any who saw this cloak would immediately recognize it as the calling card of probably the most dangerous group of criminals that the world had ever known, but to those who inhabited this particular forest, or more like lack of inhabitants, this cloak meant nothing. The man had traveled to this remote corner of the world in search of something, or rather someone, and because of the isolation of this place, the search was taking far longer than he had ever anticipated.

He had been traveling for weeks as he searched for the mysterious being who he seemed to never be able to accurately locate, but not more than a week ago as he passed through a small merchant village, he overheard a story of a guardian who matched the description of his target and immediately set out. He knew he was close, he could feel it, and it was just a matter of finding this said person.

The man wore his usual straw hat upon his head so that he could be better protected against the elements, so any distinguishing features about him were marred from view. But his presence didn't go completely unnoticed, and for that he was thankful. He wanted nothing more than to get out of this god-forsaken frozen forest as soon as possible, and as he began to detect the chakra of his target, he knew that he had been detected. His job had just gotten much easier.

He slowed his pace to a slow gait as he felt the signature of the person growing steadily closer. The power that the person held was unmistakable and he began to wonder just how strong they really were. Only time would give him that answer.

He didn't have to wait long, much to his relief, as a figure flew past him on the branches above before they dropped down onto a mound of snow covered rocks only a mere few feet away. The figure was clad in no more than a silvery cloak that concealed any hint as to the identity of the person beneath, and he assumed that was how they preferred it.

Neither of them said a word as the figure waited with careful patience as he closed the distance between them until he was no more than a foot away before he ceased his approach. Even at this lack of distance he still couldn't make out any of the hooded person's features due to the thick cloak they wore, but he knew this was the one he was looking for. Now all he had to do was verify. He cleared his throat in an almost too loud way that seemed to echo off the fog around them before his deep, gruff voice followed. "Are you the Silver Lady, Guardian of this forest, that I have heard so much about?"

She allowed a soft smile to grace her lips at the mention of her supposed identity, though it went unseen by him. "That depends, how many other Silver Ladies are there?"

"Only one that I am aware of. I am looking for a specific Silver Lady, one who defected from a little island village about a year ago. Do you know her?" He knew she would be just as wary of him as he was of her, so he expected her to give vague answers.

She remained quiet as she observed him for a long moment as he awaited her response. She didn't have to see him to know that he was trying to see under her hood, but he would have to be patient a little longer. "Maybe I do, tell me, what do you want with this particular girl?"

"Well now that is between me and her." He responded in an almost taunting tone.

"May I at least know her name? I could point you in the right direction if I have met her." She replied.

He seemed to consider her request for a long moment before he let out a slightly exasperated sigh. "All I can give you is her clan name of Rizumu. Now tell me, have you seen her?"

She stood in silent contemplation for a bit before she reached up to her hood and slowly pulled it off of her head than removing the cloak entirely and letting it fall to the ground below. He studied her appearance as she stood proudly upon the rocky mound while staring down impassively at him. In all his years he had never encountered any other kunoichi who could even begin to compare to the woman standing before him now. She was dressed in brown leather pants that held crisscrossed stitches starting from the tops of her thighs and vanishing into the boots she wore over them. The boots were closed-toed and made of the same kind of leather, the only difference was the shine that he could see coming from them which meant they were treated so that they would remain dry despite the weather. Her shirt was made out of a dark silvery cloth that covered one of her shoulders and stretched down into a full sleeve that hid most of her hand while the other shoulder and arm was left completely bare. Upon both arms around her biceps and wrists she wore dark leather bands that he assumed she used as guards. Around her waist was a light brown leather belt that contained several small pouches, though the contents were unknown. On both of her hands she wore black gloves that were marred from many years of use.

Her hair hung loosely down around her back and shoulders, the only thing containing the strands was the thin black headband that rested on top of her head. Her bangs covered her forehead and swooped to the side at a slight angle. Her weapons though were very peculiar. Instead of the much more typical sword or katana, she held a dark wooden bow in her left hand while a quiver of arrows rested across her back. On her thighs were two matching dark red daggers unlike anything he had ever seen before. It was almost as if she took weapons from the old ages and decided to use them now, a very uncommon thing in their time.

He was transfixed by her unearthly appearance. Her hair was devoid of any color as it blew gently in the breeze that was beginning to form. He had never seen hair as white as hers to the point where it blended in with the snow. Even her eyes were unlike any other. They were a soft almond shape that held pure silver irises that resembled liquid steel. And lastly was her complexion. Every part of her very flesh was a soft shade of alabaster. But what really added to her unearthly appearance was the way that every part of her seemed to glow with the slightest hints of silver in the pre-dawn morning, thus making him understand why she had been dubbed as the Silver Lady.

"There are many with the name of Rizumu and all come from the island village of Getsugakure, but I believe the specific Rizumu you are inquiring after is Tsuki, and if that were to be the case than you have to look no further, for I am Rizumu Tsuki. Ex-kunoichi from Getsugakure."

His instant response to her was a deep rumbling chuckle that seemed to envelop her as he threw his head back in mirth. "Do you know how far I have traveled in search of you or how long I have been at it?"

"Six weeks, five days and seven hours I believe, and you have traveled all the way from Amegakure. I do not know the exact distance however." She answered easily, catching him off guard.

He stared up at her with a concealed stunned expression. "How did you know that?"

"I have my ways, but that will be saved for a later time. Let's get to the point at hand, I have been expecting you Hoshigaki-san, and if I am not mistaken you have something you wish to discuss with me. However I propose that we save the conversation until we are indoors, because I can see how frozen you are and it would be impolite to prolong your suffering."

He peered at her incredulously through the white tassels that hung from his hat as she leapt from her perch and landed beside him. He knew from what he had been told about her that she was unusual in many ways, but he didn't know that it lead to incredible insight unlike anything he had ever seen in the past. With a slow, hesitant motion he extended his arm out beside him in the manner indicating for her to lead the way. "After you then."

Tsuki picked her cloak up from the forest floor and shook the snow off before slipping it back on and signaling for him to follow. The walk back towards her small cabin remained in heavy silence, which she wasn't bothered by since it allowed her to reflect upon the events that led up to this moment.

Just under a year ago she had traveled to these woods in an effort to remain hidden from the world that she knew was hunting her. She had chosen these woods because of their isolation from the rest of the villages and roads, so the chances of a hunter finding her were close to none.

What she didn't anticipate though was coming across a small village of nomad-like people who remained untouched by the shinobi influences and with it, the modern times. At first she watched the people of the village out of curiosity but as time drew on, they began to discover her presence.

It began with random encounters where she would shunshin out of sight in an attempt to remain hidden. It wasn't long after the encounters began though when she heard the villagers talking about a mysterious guardian living in the forest. In the beginning she wasn't sure how to take the stories but as time drew on, she realized that it was for the best. The longer that they thought her to be an entity of the wilderness, the better her chances were at staying hidden, so she decided to try to live up to the tales and began to embody the very idea of the guardian that the villagers had created. It was through these stories that she became known as the Silver Lady.

This morning though was not going to be like any other. There was another presence that appeared in her forest late the night before, and she knew from the sheer power surrounding the person that it was a very strong shinobi. She knew of the reason he was there and it was then that she realized that her time in this forest was drawing to a close.

She was drawn back to the world around her though relatively quicker than she had realized when she saw the steady plume of smoke rising from her chimney and she knew that they had arrived back at what had been her home for the past year. It was a small cabin, one that she constructed by herself. It had a small kitchen, an equally small bathroom and a large living room that doubled as her bedroom. It was all the space she needed since it was just her, and she found herself feeling rather sad about the idea of having to abandon it.

As she led him towards her home, she once again removed her cloak and folded it over her arm before she silently pushed the door open and motioned for her visitor to enter. He didn't hesitate as he vanished within the warm cabin, the heat from the fire melting away the frozen feeling that had surrounded him since having ventured into the forest.

Tsuki followed him inside and closed the door behind her before she expertly unclasped her boots and set them beside the door as she always did when returning home. When she was satisfied that her boots were in order she crossed the room and laid out her cloak on the steel fence that separated the fireplace from the rest of the room so that the cloth would dry properly before she turned around and faced her guest.

"May I take your cloak? I assume after all those hours you spent out in the forest it must be pretty damp." He just studied her for a long moment before he finally removed his straw hat and laid it on a small wooden table nearby before he removed his cloak just as she had requested and handed it to her. Tsuki didn't waste any time as she hauled the rather large piece of clothing over to the fireplace and spread it out beside hers before she turned around to face him once more.

"Would you care for some tea? I could use a cup myself." She offered as she made her way around him and walked down the small hallway that led to the bathroom and kitchen. There was no artificial lights in her home so as she entered her kitchen and began preparing the kettle of water, she had to go by her memory of the cabin's layout and the natural light coming in through the small window that she built into the far side of the room. She had to admit, she was nervous about having someone in her home after having spent so long in solitude, but at the same time she was relieved because her self-imposed solitude was finally coming to an end and for that she couldn't have been happier.

As she placed the kettle on the stove and lit it, she heard the soft padding sound of footsteps entering the kitchen followed by the creak of her chair as he sat down at her small round dining table. She had never bothered to form two chairs since she never anticipated company but she didn't mind the lack of seating space.

She turned around so that she could observe her guest and when she did, she found that he had been watching her with a carefully blank face. She offered him a soft smile before she crossed over to where he was and hoisted herself up onto the counter nearby.

"Well let's begin, shall we? To what do I owe the pleasure of your visit?" She knew exactly why he was there but if she told him so, the questions surrounding her claim would be complicated at best so she decided that after what she had said in the forest, it was best to play dumb.

"I have an offer for you, Rizumu-san. It comes directly from the leader of the organization." He responded as he leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms over his massive chest. For the first time since she had first encountered him, she finally allowed herself to get a good look at him.

He was tall, unusually so, at which she gauged him to be over six feet easily, and he had the most peculiar skin tone. Every part of him that she could see was tinted blue, even his hair though it was just a darker shade and was styled in a way that resembled a shark's dorsal fin. Upon his cheeks were markings that reminded her of gills, which only seemed to accentuate his beady black eyes. His appearance was highly surprising but to her she found that it just made him more interesting.

"Is that so, well what is the offer?"

"You are requested to join the organization. The leader has offered you a place where you will be protected and treated as an ally amongst other Missing-nin." Kisame spoke the usual lines used for acquiring new members, having done his fair share of the recruiting process since leaving Kiri. Tsuki tilted her head to the side slightly before nodding once.

"I accept." She said casually as she slid off the counter and made her way over to the stove where the kettle had begun to steam, signaling the water was ready.

"This was a lot easier than expected. I was anticipating a fight." Kisame mused as he let out a sigh. He really wasn't in any mood for fighting, so he was rather relieved since she had decided to accept, which made his job of recruiting her even that much easier.

"That is a silly thing to expect, considering I did invite you into my home, but if you would prefer a fight I will certainly oblige." Tsuki said as she turned towards him with two steaming cups of tea in her hands.

"Na that isn't needed, there will be time to spar when we get back to the base." Kisame said as a grin appeared on his face. He had to admit he liked the confidence she held. She carefully set his cup down in front of him and offered him a polite smile. He vaguely noticed that as she held her own cup between her hands that she had yet to remove the warn gloves.

"Yes, plenty of time." She didn't see the look of both amusement and curiosity that passed across Kisame's face but she could almost sense it from the subtle shift in his aura.

"Well let's not waste any more time, gather what you wish to bring so we can get out of this frozen hell."

Tsuki let out a soft laugh from his proclamation and brought her cup up to her lips where she took a long, steady drink as she just peered at him over the brim of the mug. As if taking her lead, Kisame decided to drink the warm tea as well, and after a long moment of content silence, Tsuki lowered hers. "I will need a bit of time to gather my possessions. I do not have much, but I do not like being rushed. You will have to be patient, Hoshigaki-san."

He appeared to have found her statement to be amusing as he once more chuckled as he rested his cup down on the table's surface. "Truth be told, I am in no rush to head back out into that snow. As anxious as I am to get out of the cold completely, I'd rather warm up a bit beforehand."

Tsuki just nodded as she walked back over to her stove and placed her cup within the sink nearby before she walked over to the doorway. Just before she was about to exit the room, she turned back just enough so that she was facing him and offered him a soft and yet tired smile. For a moment she just held his gaze before she vanished from sight, leaving him to his thoughts. She needed to begin packing her belongings, and as much as she loved her small cabin, she was just as anxious as her visitor was to get out of the forest.

**_-:-_**

The packing itself took her a little under an hour to complete as she meticulously stored everything she held dear within a series of scrolls. Each scroll contained certain types of items, such as her weapons within one, her clothing within another and her personal effects, like her books, in a third. She felt the need to keep everything she owned organized and by the time that she was finished she had fully emptied her cabin of everything, including the furniture she had constructed. The only thing that she was left to carry was the small messenger bag that contained all of her scrolls and a few smaller weapons that she could access easily as well as a change of clothing, and lastly, some food that would be simple to eat while traveling and wouldn't go bad.

As she slipped the bag over her shoulder and then pulled her silvery cloak on over it, she glanced around the main room and let out a sigh. She was going to miss this place but it was time to move on, so as she buttoned her cloak completely and pulled her hood over her head, she exited from the small house and joined the ex-Mist-nin who had been outside for the past few minutes as she finished packing. She had asked him to step out so that she could completely store her things without worrying about him getting in her way, which he very well could have done due to his sheer size and the lack of room within the cabin.

"All set?" He asked her as she arrived at his side looking as if she had nothing with her at all. Her cloak was just loose enough to conceal any hint of her traveling with a bag, much like how his required cloak did.

"Almost." She said before she turned back to face her house. Kisame raised an eyebrow as he wondered what she could possibly have to do now to delay their travels any further, but as he turned around just enough to observe her, he looked on in stunned silence as she extended her arms out in front of herself so that her palms were facing the cabin, and with a simple, simultaneous flick of her wrists, the logs that had once formed the small cabin began to detach from one another. They slowly and deliberately floated in several different directions and with another flick of her wrists, every last one of them sped off into the depths of the forest, leaving no trace of there ever having been a house there, save for the indentation in the ground that had been left untouched by the winter snow.

He glanced down at the girl who had remained at his side while she dismantled her own home and just as he was about to ask her how she did that, he caught sight of her left hand falling back to her side while her right remained raised, though this time her palm was facing the ground. His mouth snapped shut as he watched the settled snow begin to swirl and rise as it moved towards the indentation on the forest floor. Not even a moment later the grassy earth was buried beneath the white powder, completely erasing what was once there.

For several seconds she just stared at the place where her cabin had been before she lowered her right hand to her side and turned away from the now empty space, not once looking up to meet the silent questioning gaze of the blue tinted man. Without any further delay she began forward, leaving her past year behind her, and after a moment she sensed the man walking beside her.

Many minutes passed in relative silence as they made their way through the snow covered forest, but Kisame couldn't contain his curiosity any longer. "So, are you a wood user?"

"No." She answered simply and from her tone he could tell that she didn't wish to elaborate any further. Unfortunately for her, Kisame wasn't one to back down so easily.

"Well then do you care to share with me just how you managed to do that without using any detectable chakra?" He persisted as he glanced down at her, though he no longer could see her face due to the hood.

"The explanation will come in time. For now, do not worry about it." She stated with finality, thusly putting an end to their conversation.

Kisame continued to watch the girl walking at his side and he couldn't help but compare her to his previous partner who had been deceased for the past ten months. He had to admit that he missed the friendship he had with the Uchiha, but now as he looked down at this peculiar girl, he saw many similarities. For one thing she was just as quiet as his former partner had been, and when asked a question about something out of the ordinary, she spoke cryptically in almost the same manner as the Uchiha. It was almost alarming at how closely she mirrored the man, and he began to wonder what kind of strength she contained.

The leader had been quiet on what to expect from her, only telling him of what he would need to know the most. Everything else about her was a complete mystery and a part of him wondered what his dead partner would have thought of her.

He decided to let the subject drop for now though since he didn't want to put any further energy into trying to decode the girl. He didn't need to have the Uchiha's I.Q. to know that trying to do so would be a moot point, an impossible task. What he did know was that she was hiding something rather important and it was probably what caused the leader to send him after her. He conceded with the fact that his chances of working with her in the future were pretty great seeing as how there were so few of them left now. If he was sent on a mission with her, he would then be given the opportunity to learn more about her, after all, he wasn't one to give up so easily, especially when it involved a strange, quiet and yet unique person who had given him the first warm smile he had ever received.

As they made their way in the direction that would take them back to Ame, Kisame let his mind wander back to when they had been in the kitchen. She had been the first female to not cringe with disgust at the sight of him, and with it, she offered him the first act of kinship. It was within her simple smile that he got his first clear look into who she was, and through it he knew she was harboring something horrific. It was a familiar look, one that he contained within himself on a daily basis, as well as the other members, and it was then that he knew that she would fit into the organization perfectly.


	2. Chapter 2

_(For the sake of OCD and general evenness with the spacing, I have put this here. Ignore it.)_

**_Chapter 2_**

**_-:-_**

_"With the new day comes new strength and new thoughts."_

The journey back to Ame had taken them just under five days and now as the large industrial-like village loomed ahead, Tsuki began to wonder if she was making the right choice. As much as she felt confident in her decision and that things would be alright, she couldn't help but feel a little apprehensive about meeting with the leader of the world's most dubious organization.

"Don't worry, Rizumu-san, Leader-sama will be pleased to know that you came of your own free will. That will help your meeting." Kisame spoke as if he had read her thoughts, causing her to smile mildly. He had sensed the shift in her chakra as her nerves grew enough for him to take notice and felt the need to reassure her. He didn't have to go out of his way to ease her anxiety, but he had taken her by surprise when he had done just that.

Over the past few days of constant travel the two had mostly remained in silence, only choosing to converse when it came to where and when they'd stop and rest, or if the shark-nin had a question that he could no longer suppress. It had become apparent very quickly that the young woman wouldn't answer his inquiries and if she did, it was in the vaguest way possible.

Tsuki glanced up at her traveling partner and offered him one of her polite smiles that he had come to recognize as a guise. There were times when he would observe her real, genuine smiles that came when she was feeling the most at peace and then there were these tiny polite ones, much like the one she was using now, that appeared when she was deep within thought or was troubled by something. "Thank you, Hoshigaki-san and please, call me Tsuki. If we will be working together towards the same goal, there is no need for such formalities."

"In that case you may call me Kisame." He grinned in his naturally intimidating way as he chuckled.

The two fell into another lull in conversing as they entered the damp city. Tsuki had never seen a village that was built so vastly and felt so achingly cold. It was definitely not something she was used to but she knew that if given enough time she'd adapt to the environment easily. What she did know was that as soon as she had a chance she was going to explore this place.

She was drawn out of her thoughts when she heard the man at her side begin to talk to her once more. "I will take you up and introduce you to the leader than I will leave so that you may discuss business." Kisame explained as he led her into the building, their conversation from a moment ago giving way to the more serious nature of the situation at hand.

Her first impression of the first floor as she walked into the building was that it didn't look anywhere close to how she imagined something belonging to the Akatsuki to appear. Her eyes fell onto the dark grey marble stone floor that stretched from wall to wall. As she followed the ex-Mist-nin in further, she vaguely heard the muted clicking sound of her heels with each step.

She had since changed out of the clothing she had worn in the forest and now sported her more usual style of a deep blue kimono-esk blouse that reached down below her rear, the hemlines were a solid black. It fit her well, the top of the blouse coming together to form a V, which exposed a generous amount of cleavage. The sleeves of the kimono were different though. They were made to be form fitting, allowing the wearer to be able to move freely without extra cumbersome fabric to get in the way.

Beneath the blouse she wore a pair of black shorts, though they weren't visible due to the blouse covering them perfectly. She also wore a mesh shirt underneath it with ordinary black chest bindings beneath. The mesh shirt reached up past the V that the blouse created effectively covering her cleavage, though only slightly.

The blouse did nothing to cover her legs properly so she chose to wear a pair of thigh high mesh leggings that reached down to her ankles. Upon her feet she wore heeled kunoichi sandals, a common choice of footwear for Getsu women once reaching the rank of Jounin.

Around her neck she wore a silver chain with a single silver crescent moon pendant adorning it. The necklace had been a gift from her grandfather when she had turned sixteen and she never removed it. Along with the necklace she had received a pair of diamond earrings which she wore constantly as well.

Her eyes drifted up from the flooring towards the walls which were painted in a dull grey, nothing spectacular but enough to accentuate the flooring. Along the corners of the room rested dozens of potted plants, giving the room a slight friendly, yet misplaced feel.

Tsuki followed the shark-nin towards the opposite wall where an elevator waited for them. She halted her movements as she watched him run through a series of hand signs shortly followed by the doors sliding open and revealing a rather large lift with crimson carpeting lining the floor, the walls covered in mirrors.

Neither of them spoke as Tsuki followed Kisame into the lift. She stood against the back wall of the lift in the center while Kisame stood by the controls as a more serious mask fell upon his face. Moments later the lift began to move, taking them closer and closer to Tsuki's newly accepted destiny.

Tsuki didn't have much time to contemplate the shift in attitude before she felt the lift come to a stop, followed by the doors opening. Her eyes drifted along the flooring and walls, noting that it looked just like the first floor, leaving her to wonder if every floor had that general appearance.

Tsuki had really expected to be deep underground but when she had felt the lift move, it had taken them up towards the top of the tower, not down into the depths of whatever laid beneath the building, if anything did. After a few drawn out minutes she felt the lift come to a stop and waited as the doors slid open revealing the corridor beyond. Kisame promptly exited the contraption and lead her down the long hall towards solid oak double doors at the end. She knew that could only be the office of the leader.

Without uttering a single word to her, he stopped right outside of the doors and knocked rapidly to alert the person within that they were there. They only had to wait for another few seconds before a voice from inside ordered them to enter. With a last glance at Kisame who just grinned encouragingly at her, she followed him inside, the door shutting behind her automatically with a rather soft click.

She didn't know what she was expecting but the inside of the office sure wasn't it. The flooring was dark granite that shined beautifully from the soft lights around the room. There were a few area rugs here and there with furniture sitting on them and against one wall was a floor to ceiling, wall to wall window that looked out over the city. From what she could see from her place, it appeared to be a very nice view and if she hadn't been walking into the mother of all meetings right at that moment, she most likely would have gone to investigate the view to see if it was as good as she anticipated it to be.

"Leader-sama, I have brought Rizumu-san as you requested. She put up no fight and accepted the offer to join willingly." Kisame spoke respectfully to the person sitting behind the desk. Tsuki took a moment to look the person over and realized that the leader was no longer the known orange-haired man but his blue haired female partner. The first thing she noticed about her was that her eyes looked tired, only accentuated by dark circles beneath them. For a pregnant pause the woman just stared at her before the slightest hints of a smile appeared on her lips.

"This is good news; it is nice to finally have you with us, Rizumu-san. I have been waiting for quite a while to have you join the ranks here, though it was rather tough trying to find you." Konan explained from where she was reclining back in her chair, hands folded in her lap. Tsuki's silver eyes remained focused on the female leader and surprisingly enough her reservations vanished. Looking at the woman, she felt a sense of calmness flow within her.

"It wasn't a hard decision to make, Leader-sama. This is the best way to survive." Her voice was stronger than she had expected, making her feel more at ease with her choice. She wasn't as intimidating as she had first imagined, at least not to her.

Konan sat silently as she contemplated what Tsuki had said, all the while looking her over for a few minutes before she glanced over at Kisame. Tsuki observed the faintest hints of an unspoken conversation pass between the two before the new leader averted her eyes back to the young kunoichi.

"Rizumu-san, I requested you to join us because you have extraordinary skills when it comes to efficient killing, genjutsu and dojutsu. It isn't every day that I find someone who can rival an Uchiha, let alone surpass him, and god knows we need someone with your talents right now. That is why you are here; I have use for you." She explained, never taking her eyes off of the ex-Moon-nin.

Tsuki bowed with her hands clasped in front of herself in the customary way of greeting and thanking superiors. She heard a light chuckle come from the leader before she spoke in a softer tone.

"Please stand up, Rizumu-san, as I said previously, I have been waiting quite a long time for the chance to meet you. I have heard about what you can do… and the abilities you possess," at the mention of her abilities Tsuki's eyes widened slightly as she stared straight at the blue haired woman, "and I need you for a very specific reason that we will discuss at a later time, after the proper preparations have been made. For now, Kisame-san has been without a partner and I am assigning you as his new one."

"Understood, Leader-sama." She said carefully, not wanting to betray her inward curiosity about just how deeply the leader's knowledge went regarding the abilities that Tsuki possessed.

Tsuki offered a smile to Konan but before she could reply she heard the blue haired woman speak again, this time though to the man behind her. "Kisame-san will you please hold out her right arm and keep it still? Don't allow her to move."

Tsuki became acutely aware as her newly assigned partner drew close to her to do as the leader had asked and it was in that instant that she hastily took a few steps back to avoid him. As she looked back up at Konan she didn't miss the look of question from the blue-haired woman. "There will be no need for that, I will remain still for whatever you need to do. All I ask is that nobody touches me."

Confusion dawned on Konan's face as she listened to Tsuki's request before she nodded slightly. "Very well, I will do my best to avoid direct contact. Please roll up your sleeve." Tsuki wondered vaguely what Konan was planning on doing but nevertheless she did as the blue haired woman asked and pulled her sleeve up until it rested just below her elbow. When she was finished she looked up and saw the older kunoichi produce a small silver object from inside her cloak as she got up from her desk before approaching her. Tsuki instantly wondered if she was going to be injected with something and knew that if she had to be held still it must be an uncomfortable experience, one that she had elected to face without assistance and she was in no hurry to disappoint.

She glanced up at Kisame for a moment, noticing the slightest hint of being put off within his eyes before she focused back on what Konan was doing, but what she saw hanging from the woman's fingers confused her greatly. It wasn't a needle as she had expected but a small silver bracelet.

"Rizumu-san, this is going to be unpleasant but do not fight it. Once I place this on your wrist I have to perform the sealing jutsu that will adhere it to you. Once it is completed it will never come off until I release it. With this I can contact you freely and keep track of you. It also serves as your identification within the organization. You will feel your chakra drain as it absorbs a bit of it but it won't last long." Konan explained as she held the bracelet up.

The bracelet itself appeared to be made out of a sturdy looking metal because it was shaped similar to the bangle bracelets she had worn when she was younger, the only difference with this one was a little thicker than what she was used to, though it still remained rather thin.

"As you requested to not be touched, I will need you to put this on." Konan ordered as she handed the small object to Tsuki. She didn't hesitate as she carefully accepted the piece of jewelry and slid it over her hand before letting it fall into place around her wrist.

Tsuki watched with slight apprehension in her eyes before she glanced up at Kisame, almost immediately noticing he hadn't taken his eyes off her once as he watched her intently. Konan didn't waste time as she began to run through a complicated series of hand seals. The intense burn hit the ex-moon-nin almost instantly and much to her horror the bracelet began to glow brightly, almost as if it had just been taken out of a fire.

The pain only increased as the seals kept coming from the blue haired woman and slowly Tsuki could feel severe burning radiating up her arm than throughout her entire body, though she had yet to make any outwardly sign of the discomfort. The only hint of the effects was the frown that was on her lips and the fact that her eyes were now closed in an effort to try and ignore the burn.

For several minutes, or at least for her it felt like several minutes, she felt the burn leave trails of its destruction within her but just as quickly as it appeared, the sensations began to ebb away. She carefully cracked her eyes open and looked at the origami user, noticing that she had completed the seals and was now standing back a bit and was just watching her.

Tsuki began to blink rapidly as she looked away from Konan, the room itself coming back into focus. Her very flesh felt like she had been touched with a molting hot iron all over and it was taking its time to ebb away but she just pushed that thought trail aside, she glanced down at her right wrist that she was still holding out.

She could see the distinct silver of the bracelet now resting much snugger against her skin, which told her that part of the jutsu had been to shrink down the metal until it fit, leaving hardly any room for it to slide around, but what really caught her attention was the dark red, almost purple mark that circled her wrist where the tiny bracelet touched her. The bruising stretched out a few inches from where the metal rested and she vaguely wondered how long the mark would last. Tsuki forced herself to tear her eyes away from her abused wrist as she looked back up at Konan.

"That went easier than expected." The leader commented as she raised a curious eyebrow at the white haired woman before turning back to her desk. "Now that that is finished all that's left is to show you to your room, Rizumu-san. It will be up to you, Kisame-san, to show her to her new quarters then take her on a tour of the facility. I trust you know where her room will be?"

Kisame had since averted his eyes away from the white haired girl and looked up at the leader, his face schooled carefully in an unreadable expression. "Yes, Leader-sama."

"Rizumu-san, the redness will last for about three days, but it will fade as will any lingering pain. The bracelet will take some getting used to, but once you do it will become part of you." Konan explained as she sat back down in her chair and began looking over a document that had been left abandoned upon their arrival.

"Understood, Leader-sama." Tsuki said quietly as she gently shook her arm to try and rid it of the residual tingling within it.

"Alright you are dismissed." Tsuki looked away from her and glanced up at Kisame who just nodded at her once, but before she could exit the office, her attention was drawn back to their leader.

"Oh, one more thing before you go. I know that you both have just arrived but I will need you two to leave tomorrow morning on a mission. It is rather simple, just a diplomatic meeting in the Land of Storms. It is a good way for you, Rizumu-san, to get a feel for the job. There is a required uniform hanging in your closet as well as your new cloak. Whatever you decide to wear with it is up to you, just make sure you have the basic uniform on. Kisame-san will be leading this mission and by doing so, you will listen to his commands. If you don't, I will know. Get a good night's rest, you leave at dawn."

"Understood, Leader-sama." Tsuki said with a slight bow before exiting the office.

**_;..;_**

Tsuki followed Kisame as he led her back towards the elevator while she carefully raised her still burning arm up towards her face and examined the trinket around her wrist. It was an odd thing, no different from any other piece of jewelry she had ever seen and yet it was capable of inflicting so much pain on her, even if she wasn't quite aware of it until it was finished.

After taking in the thin, solid silver band, she allowed her eyes to drift down towards the single ornament that was inlaid into the top of the band. At first it looked ordinary but as she looked at it closer a small smile formed on her lips. The decoration itself was shaped like the cloud that adorned their widely famous cloaks and on one side it was delicately painted with a metallic silver color with a small kanji engraved into the center. It looked to have been specially made so she knew that it was something she would always admire. As she brought her wrist closer to her eyes to read what the kanji said, her eyes grew wide and she felt a sense of alarm set it.

_'Nenriki'._ The word reverberated in her mind as the very thing that she had so desperately wanted to keep a secret was now so plainly visible for anyone to see. As she continued to stare at the single word on the bracelet, she instantly knew that the leader had known about the full extent of her abilities.

Tsuki let out a long sigh as she finally lowered her hand away from her face as her eyes closed while she pulled down her sleeve that she had left rolled up until the cloth covered the bracelet. The only sign that she was wearing it now was the slight bulge in the fabric around her wrist, but beyond that it was perfectly concealed, which she knew she'd have to consciously remember to do when she was around the others. As she opened her eyes and stared at the doors of the lift in front of her, she still hadn't realized the attention she had received from her silent reaction to the bracelet. It wasn't until she heard Kisame speak when she was broken from her thoughts.

"Uh, Tsuki-san is everything alright?" Kisame asked hesitantly, his brow drawn together in confusion at her sudden change in mood. Slowly she turned her head to look up at him and offered him a weak smile.

"Yeah everything is fine; just a little warn out is all." She said in a soft tone, her voice not giving away her inward battle over what she should do if she couldn't keep the full extent of her abilities a secret. Kisame didn't seem to buy it, but much to her relief he let it go as the elevator came to a stop and the doors opened, exposing a short hall in front of them.

"I assume you are tired from the journey so I will just show you to your room. I will come retrieve you before we are to leave in the morning so make sure you are ready." Kisame said as he stepped off the lift and headed down the short hall with Tsuki right behind him.

"I will be ready." She said easily as she followed him out of the hall which led to another that crossed in front of the one they were currently in. Kisame turned to the left so she did the same and after walking another fifty or feet he turned down yet another hallway, this time taking a right and within moments he was standing outside of a solid oak door.

When Tsuki stepped up beside him he opened it slowly and extended his arm, indicating for her to go in first. She nodded to him in understanding before she stepped into the dark room.

Her first impression was that it abnormally dark for being above ground and she wondered if it was windowless but as she walked in further, she noticed that there was a hint light seeping in through the large window on the far end of the room opposite of the door and that it contained curtains that were currently drawn.

She appreciated this little detail and allowed herself to move in further before she turned back towards the doorway, noticing that Kisame had remained standing out in the hallway.

"Rest well, we will not stop until nightfall tomorrow." Kisame said before he reached into her room and grasped the doorknob and pulled it closed.

Tsuki offered him a smile as she spoke. "Thank you Kisame-san, for everything." Her eyes lingered on him for a moment longer before the door shut completely and she was plunged into a dark silence.

She forced all of her thoughts concerning the bracelet out of her mind as she walked over to her new bed which was strategically placed beside the window. The bed itself, from what she could see, was rather large and she wondered if all of them were that way, but all she really cared about at this moment in time was lying down and finally allowing herself to rest after the long journey here.

Tsuki sat down on the end of the bed and toed off her shoes before she slipped her travel bag off of her shoulder and let it fall to the floor. She had time later on to unpack what she needed but for now everything was fine just sitting inside the bag. Without so much as a final thought she crawled across the bed and laid down where she allowed the softness of the blankets and pillows lull her into a much needed sleep. Even though she didn't understand it yet, she felt a sense of relief for having finally found a place among other people where she was accepted for who she was, or at least the part of her that they knew about. All she had to do now was just obey the orders given to her and make herself fit within the organization and she would be safe, for now at least.


	3. Chapter 3

_o.0_

**_Chapter Three_**

**_-:-_**

_"What is past is prologue." _

There was nothing like finally enjoying the peace of a day off. The life of a shinobi rarely offered such a day and when one was offered, you would have to be pretty stupid to pass it up and Sakura Haruno was not stupid. Which is why, at nearly nine in the morning, the pinkette who was widely known for her medical abilities as well as a temper that could rival the Hokage herself on any given day was lazing about in her bed, her eyes open and staring absently at the ceiling above her.

She loved her job and the fact that, as a medic, she was able to save people's lives rather than take them. It wasn't that she was against killing those who deserved it or threatened the lives of those she cared about the most, if that were to happen she wouldn't hesitate to end any life no matter who it was. It was more of the fact that she found absolute satisfaction with saving her patients from the brink of death or, which was more likely to happen on a daily basis, treat unfortunate genin who didn't know when to call it quits during training sessions.

On days like today she was also just as grateful to be able to spend half of her morning snuggled into the blankets on her bed. It had been a long time since she had been able to do just that and she didn't know when she'd have another chance to so she might as well take advantage of it while she could.

But all good things must come to an end and she knew hers was about to come crashing down the instant she heard a series of taps erupt on her bedroom window.

"You've got to be kidding me!" She fumed as she rolled onto her other side so that her back was facing the window in an effort to ignore the offending sound. Maybe, just maybe, if she could pretend to not be home they would give up and go away.

Unfortunately Sakura had never been a lucky person and now was not an exception to that unspoken rule. Much to her dismay she listened as the person on the other side of the glass slid the window open followed by the soft swish of clothing that told her she now had to contend with an intruder.

The person didn't say a word as they walked over to her bed where she was currently lying perfectly still with her eyes closed as she feigned sleep. She knew it was a long shot but maybe if they saw she was still sleeping they would leave. Again luck was not on her side.

She felt a hand fall to rest on her shoulder firmly followed by a not so gentle shake from the offender. "Sakura wake up!" She recognized the voice and instantly knew that her tactics wouldn't work. The pinkette let out a defeated sigh and opened her eyes, meeting the charcoal hues of her intruder that weren't all that far away from hers.

"If you have any sense of self-preservation I'd suggest that you vacate my home immediately." Her eyes narrowed as she spoke until she was visibly scowling at the boy who also happened to be one of her teammates. He should have known better than to disturb her on her only day off but yet here he was doing just that.

He, however, just stared blandly at her, unimpressed by her warning after having become desensitized to her temper over the time spent on her team. "I cannot do that, Sakura. I have an urgent message for you."

"What's the message?" The scowl vanished from her face at the mention of an urgent message. It wasn't enough to spark her to leave the comfort of her bed but she was curious none-the-less.

"Hokage-sama requests your presence immediately."

Sakura just rolled her eyes as she assumed that the only reason her mentor would call her in on her day off was probably to complain about Shizune clearing out her private stash of sake again. "Sorry, I can't get out of bed right now. These blankets have accepted me as one of their own and if I leave now I might lose their trust*."

She had to give him credit. She could see it in his eyes that he was suppressing the immediate curiosity that had sparked within him from her attempt at being humorous but instead he settled for being persistent about the reason he had arrived in the first place. "She will not take no for an answer, Sakura. It is regarding an emergency at the hospital."

Within the next moment she had her blankets tossed to the side and she was running towards her closet where she grabbed fresh clothes than vanished from her room. "Why didn't you say that sooner, Sai?!" She yelled from the hallway just before the bathroom door slammed shut.

Not even two minutes later Sakura reappeared in her room dressed in her usual style of clothing that had changed since she had turned 17. She wore a simple sleeveless red dress with white trim that reached down to the middle of her thighs. The collar reached up to her neck and where a few decorative yellow cherry blossom flowers adorned it. She had even replaced her old boots with ones that now reached up to just above her knees and her hair had grown out so it now fell just below her shoulders.

"Well let's go!" She barked out at the ex-Root-nin who had since taken a seat on her bed. He responded instantly and not even a moment later both Sakura and Sai were outside and took to the roofs as they made their way towards the Hokage tower.

**_-:-_**

When she had been summoned to Tsunade's office her first thought was that there had been a team brought back from a failed mission and they needed her for her expertise in poison but instead she was greeted with a very agitated Sannin. That was when she learned of the four shinobi who had summoned help but the pinkette could tell that regardless of the details she was given, the blond woman was hiding something from her, something important.

Soon after she was sent on her way to prepare medical-nin at the hospital and await the patients but luckily for her she didn't have to wait long. Sakura was finishing readying the fourth room when she heard voices shouting orders from the lobby just before she heard one of the nurses call out for her.

"SAKURA-SEMPEI! THEY ARE HERE!" Not even a moment later Sakura darted out of the room and down the hallway, on her way to intercept the other medics but much to her surprise, and irritation, what she saw in addition to them were the numerous masked ANBU who were surrounding the stretchers where she knew the injured Shinobi were lying even though she couldn't see them.

As she drew closer to the large group of people she felt herself fall into her professional medic mode, an attitude she adopted when she needed to focus on the task at hand. "Alright everyone let's get these guys into their rooms and start their treatment." She ordered in a tone that nearly matched the Godaime's, though the only difference was the young age of the pinkette and the general lightness of her voice verses the Hokage's who's had always been deeper and harsher with age.

There was a resounding acknowledgement of the medics she oversaw on a daily basis as they began to separate the stretchers and carry the injured down the hall to their designated treatment rooms, but Sakura remained near the lobby with her eyes trained on the ANBU who she hadn't let past her even though she could clearly see that they were anxious to follow the shinobi.

"Care to inform me as to why you are here?" She asked after another long moment, her light emerald eyes narrowing in a threatening manner. She knew she had no authority over them since they answered to Tsunade solely but she could care less. The hospital was her territory and whatever happened within its walls was always her business.

The one standing closest to her, who she assumed to be the captain, stepped even closer to her before answering her question. "I apologize Haruno-san but I cannot discuss our mission." He stated smoothly.

"That may be so ANBU-san but this is MY hospital and while I have patients under my care they fall under the protection of medical law. You are free to wait in the waiting room for them to recover but none of you are to step foot in those treatment rooms unless I say otherwise. Am I clear?" Her tone had remained the same forceful one full of authority and displeasure, one that she had adopted from Tsunade herself.

Silence fell over them and she could tell almost immediately that the ANBU captain wasn't pleased with her words but he made no further effort to argue the point. It had been known in Konoha that ever since Sakura surpassed the Sannin in both strength and medical jutsu, that the hospital had become Sakura's main focus and was thus given the responsibility of running it from the Hokage. Ever since then Sakura had implemented new laws within the building that protected all of its patients from being arrested while on the premises. Her argument was that it was a place for healing and relaxation, not a place to confine criminals and further torment them.

Of course she had no problem with ANBU being present since she had, at some point, healed each and every one of them but she remained firm in her beliefs that all patients were the same and therefore nobody could be arrested until they left, and she knew immediately that arresting the injured shinobi was the ANBU's intentions.

"Very well, Haruno-san. I will place a guard outside each of those rooms if that meets to your approval." She could hear the distinct sound of irritation coming through in the man's tone and she inwardly took amusement in it considering that she knew this man well and he knew the rules so he shouldn't have been surprised.

"That is fine just stay out of our way." She said with a slightly calmer tone of voice before she allowed a mischievous smirk to appear on her lips as her arms crossed over her chest. "I expect I will be hearing all about this when I am finished with the patients, huh?" Her voice had taken on a much lighter and somewhat teasing demeanor as her eyes stared directly past the dark holes of the mask and into the eyes beneath.

The ANBU captain didn't say anything for a long moment as he stared down at the pinkette in front of him before he too crossed his arms over his chest, mimicking her stance. "Yes, you will… Sa-ku-ra." A tantalizing shiver ran down her spine at the way he had nearly purred her name out just before she watched him turn on his heel and walk towards his team who had since stepped away from them when they had started arguing.

The smirk on Sakura's lips only widened as she turned back towards the rooms and entered the first one on her right to evaluate the patient's status.

**_-:-_**

Several hours after the injured shinobi arrived at the hospital Sakura finally made her way, uncharacteristically silent and deep in thought, towards her office in one of the towers located on the left wing of the building. It had originally belonged to Tsunade but when Sakura took charge of the hospital, she had received it shortly after and had since spent a vast amount of her time locked away within it as she poured over medical texts and scrolls.

Her feet carried her along the familiar path towards her office as her mind remained going over and over her encounters with the four shinobi who had since been re-located to better rooms on the second floor. She knew as the head of the hospital that she had a responsibility to oversee their treatments and get them back to peak health but… did she want to?

**_~Earlier that day~_**

Sakura felt highly amused by the ANBU captain's frustration with her and just like he had promised, she most certainly would hear all about her stubbornness from him later that evening when she was off of her shift.

Even with his mask on, one that she had always liked more than some others because it was in the image of a Falcon, she could see his facial expressions, or lack thereof, almost perfectly. She knew the man well, just as he knew everything about her, and regardless of their affinity of pushing each other's buttons and arguing quite a bit more than other couples, they truly loved each other.

Sure Sakura had never imagined she would have ended up being with him even though she had known him since she had become a genin but she had always had her eye on another. For many years she loved her former teammate unfalteringly but one day when she had been sent on a mission with the now ANBU captain, he had managed to tear every part of her love for the traitor apart and destroy every last bit of hope she had in him ever returning.

Her temporary teammate had left her broken and uncertain of who she was but then he did something for her that she knew nobody else could have done. He picked up the pieces that were left of her and began to put them back together, only this time using himself as the glue to hold them together.

Since that mission they had spent nearly every moment they could afford together, the only reasons they were apart was when they were sent on missions or Sakura needed to be at the hospital, though there were numerous times when he wasn't busy he would surprise her there and steal her away for much needed alone time.

They had been together now for a little over a year and Sakura couldn't have been happier.

As she stepped towards the door of the first room she pushed her thoughts of the ANBU captain away and re-focused her mind on the task ahead. It was her job, her duty to heal all of those who walked, or more like in their case were carried, into the hospital and she wouldn't fail.

The doorknob was cold against her hand but she barely paid attention. She could hear the quick talking of the other medics from within as they set to work on reversing the damage that had been done to the patient. Sakura had trained many of the medics who were now employed with the hospital and she trusted in each and every one of their abilities so as she pushed the door open and stepped inside, she didn't feel the need to immediately jump in and take over.

She just observed for several minutes as the other medics worked feverishly to heal the rather large man occupying the operating table, only speaking when one of the medics would ask her a question or request an opinion.

From where she stood she couldn't see the man clearly but from what she could see, he was a very tall man, thick as well. He had a tanned appearance, making him look slightly handsome in his own right but what really captured her eyes was the bright orange chopped hair that rested on his head that was, at the moment, coated in grime and dried blood.

As she stood and watched the medics she couldn't help but feel like she had seen this man before, like she should know who he was but she couldn't remember his name. He was familiar to her, she just didn't remember from where so she just brushed it aside figuring she had seen him while on a mission to another of the shinobi villages.

Sakura remained in the room and aided the medics when necessary before the door was opened quickly and another medic rushed in. From his immediate appearance she could tell something was wrong even before he said anything.

"Sakura-sempai we need your help! It's the woman that came in with them, she's bleeding out and we can't find the source!" Sakura didn't need to be asked twice. She quickly walked around the operating table and rushed out the door before following the medic towards the room across the hall.

When she made her way into the room she didn't take the opportunity to look at the female lying on the table. The only thing at that moment that captured her attention was the large gaping hole in her abdomen that was leaking a continuous stream of blood.

Her self-described medic mode set in at that moment as she stepped towards the table and began sending her green medic chakra into the open wound as she probed for the source while simultaneously trying to clot the blood to keep her from bleeding out.

Sakura spent the next three hours straight pulsing her chakra into the woman on the table before she had finally managed to staunch the blood flow, find the cause and repair the damage.

When she slowly withdrew her chakra and took a step back away from the woman to allow the other medics to continue to work on her, she felt a slight exhaustion from the chakra depletion but it wasn't anything she couldn't deal with.

She quickly washed the blood off her hands and exited the room where she made her way over to the next room and observed for a little while much like she had done with the first patient.

As she looked at the man on the table she couldn't help but to once again feel like she should know who they were. The man before her looked fairly young, maybe only a few years older than she was. He had a fairer complexion then the other man did but he still had a hint of a tan that almost seemed to contrast against his stark white hair that reached down to his shoulders. She couldn't see his eyes due to them being closed but she didn't need to. Even when unconscious he had an almost arrogant expression on his face.

As Sakura stood in the corner of the room and watched the operation in front of her, she completely lost track of time. It was only when the medics began to clean up the room when they had finished with the man on the table before she was brought back to the present and she learned she had been standing there for two hours.

Her cheeks flushed with embarrassment when she realized she had spent nearly all of that time trying to figure out who the three patients where even though she couldn't quite find her answers. She knew she should have known who they were but their names eluded her.

Without speaking a word or answering the concerned questions that came from her medics, she departed and made her way to remaining room, knowing she had to check up on the last injured shinobi before she could file a report and leave for the evening.

This person's room was the last one at the end of the hall, closest to the elevator that went to the other levels of the hospital. The door was firmly shut, which she expected and she could still hear the sounds of medics working within so she carefully pushed the door open in an attempt to not disturb them and stepped inside.

The first thing she was met with was the pungent scent of blood. As her eyes drifted around the room she could see that it was nearly everywhere, almost as if it had erupted from the patient's body like a volcano.

She ignored the sickening metallic scent and walked around the table where she focused on the several stab wounds that were being closed by the medics' chakra before she noticed the severe burn marks along his arms and legs. She knew it was a male; his chest was exposed so it was pretty clear nearly instantly.

Sakura once again found herself observing her medics as they worked on the man, though this time she made herself focus on what they were doing and just pushed her earlier thoughts away and decided to ponder more on them later.

"Sakura-sempai?" Her attention was drawn towards a young female medic who was standing near the man's shoulder on his left. Sakura focused her eyes on the medic's face and gave her a questioning look as she waited for the girl to continue. "He is burned badly on his face but we are all trying to heal his body… do you think you can give us a hand? Besides your chakra control is much better and if anyone can heal facial damage without scarring it's you!"

Sakura allowed a soft smile to form on her lips as she stepped around the medics and stood at the young girl's side where she looked down at the man's face. She couldn't tell what he looked like; his entire face was covered with a damp cloth to keep it from getting worse but from what she could tell he had raven black hair that stood up in spikes.

A small frown formed on her face as she looked down at him, unable to stop her thoughts from telling her that he reminded her so much of her former teammate.

_'No! I'm not going there! He is long gone; he'd never come back to Konoha let alone ask for help from us! This man is not Sasuke!' _She chided herself as she once again forced herself to focus on the task at hand.

Slowly she removed the lower half of the cloth, exposing his lower face just underneath his nose before she placed her hands over the area, hovering just slightly above and engulfed his severely burned face in her green healing chakra.

**_~Present~_**

It wasn't until she had finished healing his face completely and removed the cloth before she realized who was lying on her table. Almost immediately all of the pieces of the puzzle came together and she knew who had been brought into the hospital, not just any hospital but _her _hospital. She knew instantly who her dear ANBU captain needed to arrest.

Slowly her eyes drifted to the door ahead of her that she had finally reached and pushed it open absent-mindedly before stepping inside and closing it once again behind her.

At that moment all she wanted was to be alone. She didn't want to talk to anyone, she didn't want to eat so that she could restore her chakra and she definitely didn't want to sleep because she knew thoughts of her last patient would plague her dreams.

She shuffled over to her desk and sat down unceremoniously, allowing herself to slouch down into her chair before she propped her elbow up on her desk and rested her eyes against her open palm while her other hand rested limply in her lap.

She felt emotionally and physically drained. She wished she had had some kind of forewarning so she could have prepared herself better for the patients who had been brought in and she instantly felt angered at Tsunade for having withheld that information. It wasn't that the Hokage didn't know, Sakura knew from her stance that the blond had in fact known, she just hadn't cared to share.

Before she could think any more on the events of the day she heard a light knock come at her office door just before it opened slowly. She didn't even shift in the slightest as her guest walked in and she didn't need to look up to know who it was, she could recognize her ANBU captain's presence anywhere.

"Now about that discu-" Sakura didn't give him a chance to finish what he was going to say as she cut him off, her voice hinting at the emotional turmoil that had erupted within her.

"Why didn't you tell me?" It was barely above a whisper but it didn't matter. They were in one of the more silent parts of the hospital and other then their voices no other sounds could be heard so she knew that the man heard her, but when he responded she immediately felt more angered and rather insulted.

He hesitated for a long moment before questioning her out of forced confusion. "What?"

Her hand fell away from her face as she turned her emerald eyes up at him, hues darkened with the irritation she felt at that moment.

"What do you mean 'what'? I said why didn't you fucking tell me?!" Her voice rose steadily as she shot to her feet, her stance rigid.

Without responding she watched as the man in front of her reached up to his face and removed his mask before placing it down on the side table by the door and taking a couple steps towards her.

"I thought you knew." He responded after a pregnant pause, his deep voice becoming soft in an uncharacteristic way that only she knew he was capable of.

"No I didn't!" She hissed out at him before she turned away from the man and walked over to the large window that wasn't too far away from her desk. As she turned her eyes out over the village she folded her arms over her chest and grasped onto her own biceps in a manner that would normally indicate that she was cold but for the man by her desk he recognized it as a sign of her self-consciousness as well as being extremely upset.

"I'm sorry Sakura-chan; I thought Tsunade-sama told you. I was surprised to see you there today in all honesty, so you being unaware answers that question." He explained as he cleared the distance between them and gently slid his arms around her waist and pulled her back until she was flush against his chest before he rested his chin on her shoulder.

Sakura knew from experience that this was the way he apologized when he knew he had done something wrong and it usually eased her anger with him but she couldn't just let this go. If it were anything else she would have but this just wasn't something that was easily forgotten, let alone forgiven.

"It's like you people think it's funny to not tell me that _he _would be here. Was it a good laugh?" Her voice had taken on an icy tone that seemed to bite the man behind her right through his heart. She could tell by the way his arms tightened around her waist that she had made him feel guilty about the situation and it nearly brought a smile to her face.

"Please Sakura-chan, if I'd have known you weren't aware I would have warned you. Please forgive me." He pleaded with her, his voice just barely audible enough for her to hear. She didn't respond to his plea but she couldn't help the soft smile that bloomed on her lips when she felt his forehead lean against her temple, another sign that he was being sincere.

A moment later Sakura's arms unfolded from her chest as she let out a long sigh, releasing her hurt and anger at the man she was so in love with before she felt his arms loosen around her. She took his slackened grip as a sign that he recognized her forgiveness so she turned herself around in his arms until she was facing him. She slowly slid her arms up over his shoulders and around his neck as she felt his arms tighten around her again, their eyes now locked on each other's.

She had looked up into his pearly orbs that contained the slightest hint of lavender within them and offered him a smile. "Alright, I forgive you Neji-kun and I'm sorry for yelling." She spoke softly as she leaned in towards him, her lips hovering just barely above his.

"I didn't take it personally." He murmured just before he closed the distance between them and pressed his lips against hers in a soft, chaste kiss.

Sakura felt heat rise to her cheeks at their intimacy. Sure they had kissed hundreds of time since they had begun dating but each time they did, it always felt like the first. When he had forced her to get over Sasuke then helped her rebuild her heart she had found herself becoming captivated by the Hyuga. At first she kept it to herself until one day, two weeks after their mission, he had confessed his feelings for her and since then they had been inseparable.

After a few long moments she felt his lips part from hers before he pressed them against her forehead in the gentlest way he reserved just for her. Another smile formed on her lips before she rested her head against his shoulder, her nose nuzzling into his neck softly.

Neither of the spoke but it didn't matter to her. They had found out soon after starting to date that they didn't need to always speak to enjoy their time together. Of course they did talk a lot, sometimes staying up all night while lying in bed in each other's embrace just talking about anything and everything.

Sakura knew deep down that she never would have been this happy even if Sasuke did stay in the village and accepted her feelings. He was just too cold and distant of a person to be the one she needed and she also knew that she never loved Sasuke as much as she loved Neji.

"What do you say about heading home now?" He said after a while, his breath fanning her ear as he spoke. Slowly she pulled her head away from his shoulder and looked up at him before nodding in agreement.

"Yeah, I think that sounds great right about now." She added as they released each other before they both turned towards the office door and headed for it. Sakura walked just behind the Hyuga and waited for him to pick up his ANBU mask before he opened the door and stepped out. She followed quickly after him, turning off her office light and shutting the door.

When she turned fully towards him she saw he was waiting for her, a hint of a smile on his lips as he extended a hand out towards her. She returned his smile and walked up to him, sliding her hand into his and lacing their fingers together.

"I love you Neji-kun." She said softly, her eyes looking up at him with all the adoration she held for the man as she slowly began to forget about the day.

She felt as he raised their entwined hands up to his lips where he placed a chaste kiss to her knuckles. "I love you too Sakura-chan, I really do."

They quickly made their way out of the hospital, putting as much distance as they could between her and her four patients that she didn't want anything to do with but mostly, she wanted to get away from the last patient. His presence disturbed her, she never thought she'd see him in the village again and now here he was, lying in a bed recovering from his wounds.

* * *

*I know this saying has been going around on the internet. I don't claim it, I just liked it enough and felt it meshed with the scene.


End file.
